Petite support for losing a few pounds/getting to our 'happy' size

[ACuppaAlwaysHelps]

Hi all. Following on from the thread that @SprayPaint started yesterday, a few of us (@Waiting9 @Horriblehistoree @FaceofSpades) seemed keen to have a thread to support each other in reaching our weight loss/body shape/fitness/health goals.

All petites are welcome on this thread, but it seemed like it would be particularly helpful to have a corner of Mumsnet for those of us who are petite/small framed and officially a 'healthy weight' but know we feel/look better a few pounds lighter (which would still be within a healthy weight/not underweight).

Maybe we can share goals, progress, struggles, things that are working, etc.? It would also be lovely to hear from any petites who are at a 'happy weight' and what you are doing to be successful.

Someone (maybe @FaceofSpades?) posted some helpful thoughts on the thread yesterday.

Please share how you all think this thread could be helpful.

Feel free to share as much or little as you like. Height, current weight, goal weight or other body measurements, nutrition, calories, exercise, NSV, etc.

Wise mojo

I'm feeling somewhat uninspired at the moment.

I just read the expensive tuna thread.

Quite fancy butterbean, tuna and tomato salad for tea now.

But alas its chicken Kiev in my house, with jersey royals as a nod to the weather.

Must start making yummy salads this week while its so hot. That should help with the mojo, get lots of vitamins in me.

I eat bean and fancy tuna salad most weeks, it's a great rapid lunch, so that thread di make me laugh. Takes five minutes to throw together. I am another one who would never eat standard tinned tuna again! Life's too short.

I'm down to 55 kg now, from a starting point of 67kg. I'd like to say I feel slim but I don't. It seems like the fat is more noticeable now it's more isolated!

How tall are you @Fibrous? I'm just under 5ft and 54.4kg this morning. My face is looking better, much more streamlined. Toned arms, good legs.

But my stomach (which used to be lovely and flat and toned before two pregnancies and two c-sections) is now still looking quite recently post partum (if I am being generous, beer belly if not) My youngest is 8.

Probably more obvious now that it was before, I'm like a child's drawing. Two sticks, circle belly, stick arms and a round head.

@Hoolahoophop I used to be 5'2" but have conceded with age I am now only 5'1".

My face is looking very thin! Too thin. I think the weight drains off me from top down - my thighs and bum hold on to the bitter end. My waist is a lot smaller but I still have an overhang, but I'm definitely a pear right now. I think it will take a few more kilos to balance out.

That's annoying you're hanging onto it in the middle. Much as I would love to have nice legs, it is easier to dress a pear than an apple I think.

I struggle with my pear bum and thighs. I've got a squishy mum-tum/ CS overhang and it's a pain balancing a smaller but squishy waist with enough bum coverage.

Tops with a longer line can get stuck on my hips, but short enough to avoid that cuts across the lumpy overhang bit. My waist is quite high, it's below the tummy button that's awkward.

My arms have thickened up with age and strength training. Healthy, but it's a pain having enough arm space in tops but having a small bust. They're not the most common proportions for clothes design!

It's getting harder rolling sleeves up as my lower arms have gained strength- same issue as not being able to pull socks up my shins/ calves. I have to fold them back down my ankles so they often look inside-out.

Gosh BOGOF it’s like you are describing my figure!!

I too have large bum and thighs, small but wobbly waist and bizarrely large upper arms. Shortish, batwing or balloon sleeve jumpers like this or this are my best friend. Can’t help with the tops really, I tend to go for high ish waist and tuck the T shirt in. I also wear ankle socks like a true Gen X.

This also sounds like me except for the small boobs as I am well endowed in that dept. I have big pastry rolling arms from strength training, like an Italian nonna. I hate clothes shopping although I am generally at peace with my body shape. I think I fall in the short and sturdy category - I was good at snowboarding! And hiking up mountains.

Yes, I’m broadly at peace too. Sturdy has benefits. Although as per this thread, I’d quite like to lose the layer of pudge sitting on top of the sturdiness.

As to clothes shopping- every time I go to a gym class I realise how unusual this shape now is. So not surprising it’s hard to find clothes. Although I’m finding it a lot easier now than it was say 5-10 years ago, thank god skinnies and tunic tops are over 🙏

I'd love to be smaller boob'd. I always look so top heavy.

Broad shoulders, big boobs, narrowish waist & flat stomach but also flat bum (despite allll kinds of glute building attempts) and short legs with decent quads, so they always look chunky.

If I could pick and choose where I store my fat/muscle I think I'd be happy with my actual weight!

Way better not to store it all on the belly, though. A) that's the most unhealthy place for it to be and B) it makes me look like I have swallowed a bowling ball, like those comic pictures of snakes.

Mojo, oh mojo where are you???

Last week was a slog. Loads of messy off-routine life-stuff going on.
Plus the heat.

I weighed in yesterday and the hormonal bloat had gone. I've been maintaining in the zone, but it wasn't great nutrition.

Hopefully this week I can move more, and have the headspace to eat better. I'd like to make some progress again. It feels like it's been a while.

Good gym session last night. Squat lifted 40kg. Not a first but is my max (a year ago I was just on the 20kg bar). First time I've swapped my piddly plates and put the macho 10kg plate on each end. Plus my first 30kg deadlift.

I’ve had to give up on barbell lifting as they make my haemorrhoids so much worse. I’ve had repeated flare ups since joining that gym, despite working with a trainer and really focussing on my form and breathing. I’ve an appointment with my physio this morning to see what he recommends I do instead as I need to do some lifting but my butthole just can’t take it. I’m sick of waiting for nhs treatment - it’s been nearly a year now, so have booked to go private, which is costing me an arm and a leg. I’ve done very little training these last three weeks as I’ve been in too much pain, but very little eating either for the same reason. Hoping normal life resumes soon.

It's so frustrating when one part of your body sabotages your good intentions for the rest of it.

I'm ok to keep moving but I've got ankle issues with my achilles/ plantar fasciitis. I've dialed down the speed and frequency of runs and done some swapping to cycling, but at least it's not a full running ban for a few months like a few years ago.

Food shop tomorrow. I've done a big deep-clean of the kitchen including clearing out old salads of failed aspirations from the fridge. The kitchen should hopefully feel a bit more enticing for more cullinary effort... 🤞

Yeah it’s really frustrating. I’ve also got an Achilles injury I need to keep awareness of but I’ve been gumming more than running recently so it’s been ok. Went to the physio today and he’s suggested I run a lot more instead of the other stuff I’ve been doing, so going to try to follow that advice and see where it takes me. With lots of yoga too.

fridge clean is a good idea. Think I might order a new cookery cook.

I had to have time off running a few years ago wth my achilles and got to the point that I missed running so much. I couldn't spend long enough on my feet to do C25k, so did the usual school run walk as my warm up and ran for 30s, and very gradually built up until I could do a mile where I picked C25k up around week 5. I treated it as strength training on the tendon.

I've intervened a lot earlier this time which has helped. A big thing for me (I have a Haglunds Deformity that irritates it) is to keep weight off the back of the ankle when resting so I keep my ankles slightly elevated on a pillow/ cushion in bed/ on the sofa.

62.35kg this morning. I'm at my low point of the cycle, and it's a record low of this campaign so far.

That's surprised me actually. I knew I'd been down in the 62s but they'd been a bit higher.

I've been doing better on the salad this week. Last week wasn't fabulous, but my win for the week had been reducing the carbs back down a bit and getting back on to more protein. There was a lot of off-routine life stuff last going on week.

@BogRollBOGOF well done!

Hi all, I am sick and fed up of my clothes feeling tight and the mummy tummy, so I weighed myself 😳 I am 5ft 2, just shy of 3 (every little bit matters) 😂 I use to weigh a constant 8st 2 (114lbs) but since having kids and getting older (44), I am now 9st 12 (134.4lbs). I would like to try and get down to 114lb but even the 120lb would probably be better and see how I feel.

I started to stop eating at 6pm and usually have breakfast after kids to school so 9am, or a little later if I am busy. In three days I am now down to 133.2lbs, so 1.2lbs down.

May I join? Also, does anyone have any good recipes for me to try that they find is helpful?

Hi @Raindancer411 and welcome.

I am a good three inches shorter than you! Currently 54.2kg, down from 58kg at the beginning of the year. I have done it through cutting out mindless chocolate and crisp stuffing during the week, reducing portion sizes at dinner, increasing breakfast and lunch sizes and seriously upping my veg and salad intake.

So a typical day now its summer might be

Breakfast: Overnight oats with berries.

Lunch: Leftover protein from the night before with lots of salad, or went through a very pleasant phase of having Sesame Ryvita with guacamole, sliced tomato and mozzarella which was delicious. Quite like a mini crust less quiche with salad or some hummus with wholemeal pitta and veg sticks.

Dinner: All the things I would normally eat, but with half the carb portion and double the veg/salad portion.

I have cut nothing out, just reduced. I don't drink much, just a glass of wine or a g&t on a Friday or Saturday, and if I am not drinking I tend to go less crazy with TV watching snacks which are my nemesis. Still eat a little chocolate most nights, and do calorie count.

Its been very slow, but actually quite easy because I have not been restricting. Oh and I drink tons of water.

Good Luck

@HoolahoophopThank you :)

Welcome @Raindancer411

Still loitering in the 62kg zone. 62.95kg this morning, but I've got tired heavy muscles so that's a good outcome under the circumstances.

It's only been a couple of kgs over the last 4 months, but I can already feel the difference when I'm running. Over the winter, that little bit of surplus was making my legs feel sluggish. I'm still squishy below the naval, but do feel like the upper section of my abdomen is in better shape too.

Checking in. I am 1 3/4lb above where I wanted to be today.
Holiday is a week today.
It's all fine.

I’m 56.2kg this morning. I’ve spent three days sat on the sofa watching Glastonbury with few walks in between as it’s been too hot to take the dogs out. I’m missing the gym but can’t do anything at the moment so just have to accept that. Hopefully my sigmoidoscopy on Wednesday brings some positive news.

Im on a very strict diet so I’m not expecting to gain any weight but I know I’ll be losing muscle tone annoyingly. I need to be more militant about my running but I like to exercise in the mornings and that’s when my haemorrhoids are really painful. I can’t be dealing with the sweat and friction.